New York Gets Rid Of Tests As Graduation Requirement

New York’s Board of Regents voted Monday to eliminate Regents exams as a statewide high school graduation requirement beginning in 2028, advancing an education overhaul that state officials say will create a more “equitable system.” 

The move is part of the state’s broader “NY Inspires” initiative, which is designed to replace New York’s three-tier diploma system with a single statewide high school diploma and eventually move toward a competency-based model known as the “Portrait of a Graduate.”

Beginning with students graduating in 2028, New York students will no longer have to pass a prescribed set of Regents examinations to receive their diplomas. The Class of 2027 will be the last graduating class subject to the requirement.

The state’s education leadership has explicitly framed the transformation in terms of equity.

“Every student in New York deserves access to rich, high-quality learning experiences and meaningful opportunities to demonstrate what they know and can do,” Board of Regents Chancellor Lester Young said. He argued that the changes would create a more “equitable system” in which a student’s “zip code, background or circumstance” would not determine opportunities for success.

Under the existing system, students generally have to pass specified assessments in English, mathematics, science, social studies and a pathway assessment in order to earn a diploma. Students pursuing the Regents diploma with advanced designation face additional assessment requirements.

Under the new system, schools will be expected to use a combination of classroom assessments, student work, projects, performance-based learning, teacher observations, and state assessments to determine whether students have demonstrated mastery.

State officials argue that a single high-stakes examination is an inadequate measure of whether a student is prepared for life after high school.

“A single examination is not the way to answer this important question about student readiness,” Assistant Commissioner Zachary Warner said, according to the Times Union.

Commissioner Betty Rosa similarly said the changes would give students more opportunities to apply knowledge, think critically and solve problems.

The emphasis on equity, however, is not incidental to NYSED’s broader education overhaul. The department says its Graduation Measures Initiative was developed around a commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion and the state’s Culturally Responsive-Sustaining Education framework. The initiative was launched in 2019 to reconsider what a New York diploma should signify.

The “Portrait of a Graduate” framework that underpins the changes emphasizes skills including critical thinking, problem-solving, effective communication, civic responsibility and self-reflection. Students will eventually be expected to demonstrate those competencies through a range of experiences rather than relying primarily on a standardized examination.

Some educators have raised concerns about whether New York is moving faster than its replacement system can be developed.

Mohonasen Superintendent Shannon Shine warned that the state was eliminating the Regents requirement before fully defining the capstone projects and other alternatives that are supposed to replace it. Another concern is how schools will objectively measure less easily quantified skills such as communication and self-reflection.

Bob Lowry, deputy director of the New York State Council of School Superintendents, told the Times Union that superintendents have questions about how schools will measure the additional components and said the changes could significantly alter teachers’ work.

The state says districts will have oversight mechanisms to make sure their local assessment strategies remain aligned with statewide standards.

New York had previously contemplated eliminating the Regents graduation requirement later, but the Board of Regents unanimously approved moving the change forward. Students graduating beginning in January 2028 will fall under the new system, assuming the necessary regulatory changes are formally adopted.

The change comes as American students continue to struggle on major measures of academic achievement. The 2024 National Assessment of Educational Progress found that eighth-grade reading scores fell another two points from 2022, with the scores of lower-performing students reaching their lowest levels since the assessment began in 1992. Eighth-grade math scores also remained below their 2019 pre-pandemic level.